Interview with Handbag Designer Andrea Brueckner

Interview with Andrea Brueckner
I recently got the chance to exchange a brief Q + A with the one and only fabulous Andrea Brueckner, plus I was also lucky enough to browse through her amazing fall / winter 2008 handbag look book – plus have images to share!

Canadian born Andrea Brueckner moved to New York in 1999 to study design at the Fashion Institute of Technology. At first, she studied not to be an accessory designer, but rather clothing design with an emphasis in tailoring. While in school she internet with fabulous designers like Jill Stuart and Carolina Herrera. Before she went on to launching her own line, Andrea apprenticed under the bespoke menswear tailor Craig Robinson where she worked to master the classic art of tailoring. There she acquired many draping and patternmaking techniques, while also learning to appreciate the importance of good fit.

Andrea fuses her love for design with her acquired technique to create unique handbags, and continues to draw inspiration from clothing design, incorporating garment details and techniques into her accessories.

Her handbag line was launched in the Spring of 2004, and is now entering its tenth season.

Jennifer: When did you first decide that you wanted to become a handbag designer?Andrea Brueckner: I had always wanted to work for myself. When I graduated, I worked for a small apparel company, but I started to design clothing on my own on the side. I designed one small bag to go with that collection, and it sold so well...the small ideas turned into bigger ones.

Jennifer:What's your design philosophy?Andrea Brueckner: Every collection I do looks different from the previous one. My background is in tailoring, so my designs are always construction-oriented.

Jennifer: Where do you get your inspiration?Andrea Brueckner: I am inspired a lot by experimenting that I do with draping, construction and patternmaking. I am very technical.

Jennifer: Tell us about you fall 2008 collection.Andrea Brueckner: For this collection, I pushed myself to go outside of my comfort zone - to do color, and the results were phenomenal. Also, when I was at FIT, I took a couture sewing class, and we studied different stitching details. Trapunto was one of them, so I decided to incorporate that as a prominent design element in the collection.

Jennifer: Do you ever read blogs?Andrea Brueckner: Yes, it is always important to keep in touch with people's thoughts and impressions.

Jennifer: What Bag are you carrying today?Andrea Brueckner: My Cardiff Large Satchel in black pleated patent.

Jennifer: Who are your style icons?Andrea Brueckner: Kate Moss and Mary Kate. It is hit or miss with them, but that is the only way to forge ahead.

Jennifer: Where's your favorite place to shop?Andrea Brueckner: I am not an active shopper, truthfully! I like to go to random places and find random stuff.

Jennifer: If you weren't a handbag designer and had to choose any other job, what would it be?Andrea Brueckner: I would never want to be anything but! ..maybe a mother.

Jennifer: What other designers out there do you admire?Andrea Brueckner: I love Bliss Lau's bags - her designs are truly original and I really admire her creativity.

The LookBook
While browsing through her latest accessory catalog I found it quite difficult to get passed the first page! The Aspen Lock bags, with their clean lines and simple design plus the square lock design, this is the bag to dream for – a great pick for any occasion from day-to-night. Another favorite of mine from the catalog are the Luxembourgs! Really, who doesn’t like the Luxems?? Remember BagBliss-er, bRs mentioned the perfect for fall, body form fitting Luxembourg in tobacco yesterday, and also reported that the black crackle patent is currently on sale for like $479.50 over at The Hip Chick. This bag is on my wishlist for fall!

Other highlights from the F/W ’08 catalog include the slouchy chic Cardiff line, the fabulous new Tierney city-life bags, and the hand woven basketweave embossed leather Saddle line.

This season Andrea Bruekner launched a special edition of purses dedicated to promote proper labor practices and help preserve the vitality of Manhattan’s historic Garment Center, a resource for new and emerging designers. Many established designers are moving their production overseas to seek more competitive pricing. With competitive pricing comes illegal sweatshops and unscrupulous labor practices. Available employment within the Garment Center is declining. So, Andrea Bruekner released the new line (dubbed Market) as part of the Social Responsibility Initiative. Each of the totes come with a special “green” label with the following information: “made in New York City”, “sweat-shop free”, and “supports local industry”.